Shaggy is now “Dr. Shaggy” after receiving an honorary degree from Brown University at the Ivy League school’s recent graduation ceremony. And Shaggy says he was shocked that the graduating seniors not only knew him, but all seemed to be big fans of his, too.
“I was blown away in many ways [by] that whole experience,” he tells ABC Audio. “I was walking and people were just yelling, ‘Shaggy, Shaggy, Shaggy!’ Right as…the president introduced me, the whole auditorium was like, ‘Shaggy!’ She’s like, ‘Okay, I got to give the man his degree, calm down!'”
And the “It Wasn’t Me” singer says everyone at the after-party recognized him too.
“There was a commencement dinner afterwards — y’know, a lot of the honorees, including Nancy Pelosi and a whole bunch of Nobel Peace Prize winners and…congresspeople and senators and donors. And again, it was a huge reception,” Shaggy says. “I was like, ‘Wow, I really transcend through generations here with these songs!'”
According to Shaggy, that’s because he’s worked hard to try and make “timeless music” — and his new album is certainly that. After teaming up with Sting in 2018 for a Grammy-winning album, the two reunited forCome Fly Wid Mi, which features Shaggy singing reggae versions of Frank Sinatra classics. Yes, Shaggy admits that the idea of him singing Sinatra was “freakin’ nuts,” but he was down.
“The thing that Sting and I have in common is that we are both allergic to boredom and we like to think outside the box…And so it wasn’t far-fetched for me,” Shaggy tells ABC Audio. “It was scary…singing isn’t something that I was very confident on.”
But Sting, who produced the album, says Shaggy did a great job.
“It just makes people smile,” he says. “And what does the world need more than a smile at the moment?”
This Thursday, June 9, founding Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell and his current band, The Dirty Knobs, begin a stint opening for country star Chris Stapleton at various large U.S. venues that runs until late July.
Campbell and his group are supporting their sophomore album, External Combustion, which was released in March. A follow-up to the group’s 2020 debut, Wreckless Abandon, the new record is an 11-track collection that includes guest appearances from Mott the Hoople frontman Ian Hunter, Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench, and acclaimed alt-country artist Margo Price.
Campbell tells ABC Audio that he’s “a huge fan” of Hunter and Mott the Hoople, and explains that the collaboration came about after Ian had tapped him to add guitar to some of his new tracks, and, in return, he asked Hunter if he’d sing on one of his own new tunes.
“[W]e had this song called ‘It’s a Dirty Job,’ and he was gracious to do it,” Mike notes. “He puts some Mott the Hoople piano in it, and he sang a verse and some harmonies, and he really brought the song up with his presence.”
As for Tench, Campbell says he asked his longtime band mate to play piano on a tune called “Lightning Boogie,” which he figured Benmont would like.
“[H]e just killed it,” Mike notes. “He added his flavor to it, so it’s got a little Heartbreakers nuance to it.”
Campbell says Price’s contributions to External Combustion came about when he got together with her to do some songwriting. Mike wound up asking Margo to sing on two tracks — “State of Mind” and “Cheap Talk.”
“[S]he did a great job and really made the songs better,” Campell says.
The 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards aired live from the Barker Hangar in Los Angeles on Sunday night.
Vanessa Hudgens served as host for the awards ceremony, which celebrated the best in scripted content, before former Bachelorette Tayshia Adams took over as host of the UNSCRIPTED portion, which awarded some of the best reality shows and moments.
Here’s the complete list of winners who took home a “golden popcorn” trophy.
BEST MOVIE Spider-Man: No Way Home
BEST SHOW Euphoria
BEST PERFORMANCE IN A MOVIE
Tom Holland: Spider-Man: No Way Home
BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SHOW
Zendaya: Euphoria
BEST HERO
Scarlett Johansson: Black Widow
BEST VILLAIN
Daniel Radcliffe: The Lost City
BEST KISS
Poopies & the snake: Jackass Forever
BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE
Ryan Reynolds: Free Guy
BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Sophia Di Martino: Loki
BEST FIGHT
Cassie vs. Maddy: Euphoria
MOST FRIGHTENED PERFORMANCE
Jenna Ortega: Scream
BEST TEAM Loki: Tom Hiddleston, Sophia Di Martino, Owen Wilson
HERE FOR THE HOOKUP Euphoria
BEST SONG
“On My Way (Marry Me),” Jennifer Lopez / Marry Me
GENERATION AWARD
Jennifer Lopez
Comedic Genius Award
Jack Black
MTV Movie & TV Awards: UNSCRIPTED BEST DOCU-REALITY SERIES Selling Sunset
BEST COMPETITION SERIES RuPaul’s Drag Race
BEST NEW UNSCRIPTED SERIES The D’Amelio Show
BEST LIFESTYLE SHOW Selena + Chef
BEST REALITY STAR
Chrishell Stause: Selling Sunset
BEST REALITY ROMANCE
Loren & Alexei Brovarnik: Loren & Alexei: After the 90 Days
BEST TALK/TOPICAL SHOW The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
BEST HOST
Kelly Clarkson: The Kelly Clarkson Show
BREAKTHROUGH SOCIAL STAR
Bella Poarch: @bellapoarch on TikTok
BEST FIGHT
Bosco vs. Lady Camden: RuPaul’s Drag Race
BEST REALITY RETURN
Paris Hilton: Cooking with Paris & Paris in Love
Adam Lambert and Queen’s Brian May; Kerry Davies – WPA Pool/Getty Images
Queen + Adam Lambert, Rod Stewart, Elton John, Duran Duran and Diana Ross were among the performers Saturday night at The Platinum Party at the Palace, a star-studded concert celebrating Queen Elizabeth II‘s 70-year reign that took place in front of London’s Buckingham Palace.
The event was viewed by a TV audience of 13.3 million, while thousands and thousands of flag-waving spectators crammed the Mall leading to the Palace to watch in person. The show was highlighted by a spectacular video display projected onto the palace.
The concert kicked off with an adorable video showing Queen Elizabeth having tea with a CGI version of Paddington Bear, in which both shared their love of marmalade sandwiches. Then, Her Majesty began striking her teacup in a familiar rhythm: the unmistakable drumbeat that starts Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” Cut to Buckingham Palace, where Queen and Lambert got the crowd going with that song, followed by “Don’t Stop Me Now” and “We Are the Champions.”
Rod Stewart sang his chart-topping U.K. hit “Baby Jane” and then led a massive singalong as he belted out, of all things, Neil Diamond‘s “Sweet Caroline,” which is a soccer anthem in the U.K. Duran Duran performed “Notorious” and “Girls on Film,” joined by Nile Rodgers of Chic on guitar.
In a performance taped in the Red Drawing Room at Windsor Castle that was projected onto the Palace, Elton Johnsang “Your Song” and, addressing the Queen, said, “Long may you reign.” Ross closed out the festivities with performances of “Chain Reaction,” “Thank You” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”
The event also featured speeches from Prince Charles and Prince William, as well as performances by Alicia Keys, George Ezra and others.
Ed Sheeran helped bring the U.K.’s Platinum Jubilee celebration to a close on Sunday by performing his hit “Perfect” at the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, the final big event of the four-day celebration marking Queen Elizabeth II‘s 70 years on the throne.
Wearing a blue suit and armed with just his acoustic guitar, Ed sang his ballad “Perfect” in front of Buckingham Palace, as video clips of the Queen and her late husband, Prince Phillip, were shown: The romantic song was chosen to reflect the couple’s relationship. Her Majesty herself then appeared briefly on the balcony of the Palace.
The low-key performance was a far cry from the flash and spectacle of the Platinum Party at the Palace, the star-studded concert that took place Saturday night in the same location. The event was viewed by 13.3 million on TV, while thousands and thousands of flag-waving spectators crammed the Mall leading to the Palace to watch in person.
The concert kicked off with an adorable video showing the Queen having tea with a CGI version of Paddington Bear, in which both shared their love of marmalade sandwiches. Then, Her Majesty began striking her teacup in a familiar rhythm: the unmistakable drumbeat that starts “We Will Rock You” by the otherQueen. Cut to Buckingham Palace, where Queen + Adam Lambert got the crowd going with that song, plus “Don’t Stop Me Now” and, of course, “We Are the Champions.”
Rod Stewart sang his hit “Baby Jane” and then led a massive singalong as he belted out, of all things, Neil Diamond‘s “Sweet Caroline,” which is a soccer anthem in the U.K. Duran Duran performed “Notorious” and “Girls on Film,” joined by Nile Rodgers of Chic on guitar, while Alicia Keyssang “Superwoman,” “Girl on Fire” and “Empire State of Mind,” changing the lyrics of the latter song to “Let’s hear it for London” at the end.
In a performance taped in the Red Drawing Room at Windsor Castle that was projected onto the Palace, Elton Johnsang “Your Song” and, addressing the Queen, said, “Long may you reign.” Diana Rossclosed out the festivities with performances of “Chain Reaction,” “Thank You” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”
Theo Wargo/Getty Images For The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Founding Bon Jovi bassist Alec John Such has died, according to a message posted Sunday on the band’s socialmediasites. He was 70.
“We are heartbroken to hear the news of the passing of our dear friend Alec John Such,” reads the note, apparently from frontman Jon Bon Jovi. “He was an original. As a founding member of Bon Jovi, Alec was integral to the formation of the band. To be honest, we found our way to each other thru him — he was a childhood friend of [drummer] Tico [Torres] and brought [longtime guitarist] Richie [Sambora] to see us perform.”
The message concludes, “Alec was always wild and full of life. Today those special memories bring a smile to my face and a tear to my eye. We’ll miss him dearly.”
Such was a member of Bon Jovi from the group’s 1983 formation until 1994, when he was replaced by Hugh McDonald. Alec played on the band’s first five studio albums, including the hugely successful Slippery When Wet and New Jersey, which topped the Billboard 200 in 1986 and 1988, respectively.
Among the many major Bon Jovi hits on which he appears are “You Give Love a Bad Name,” “Livin’ on a Prayer,” “Wanted Dead or Alive,” “Bad Medicine,” “Born to Be My Baby,” “I’ll Be There for You,” “Lay Your Hands on Me” and “Bed of Roses.”
Such was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Bon Jovi in 2018, and he performed with his old band mates at the ceremony.
During his speech, Alec said, “These guys are the best. We had so many great times together…Love them to death and always will.”
Meanwhile, Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan, who recruited Such for the band, posted his own tribute to Alec that reads, “RIP my soul brother…It was an honor and pleasure to share the stage and to share life with you.”
(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.
The Russian military has since launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, capturing the strategic port city of Mariupol and securing a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Jun 05, 3:39 pm
Russian missiles target Kyiv
After five weeks of relative calm in Kyiv, Russian rockets hit Ukraine’s capital city on Sunday as Russian President Vladimir Putin warned of strikes on “new targets” if the United States goes through with plans to supply Ukraine with longer-range missiles.
Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar said the war is still in its “hot phase” and “capturing Kyiv is still Russia’s main goal.”
An ABC News crew visited Kyiv’s Darnytskyy district, where several Russian cruise missiles slammed into a railway repair plant. One building was still on fire when the ABC News crew arrived. Nearby, another missile strike left a creater on a cement path.
It took hours before Ukrainian authorities permitted media access to the site, saying the area needed to be cleared for safety first.
The Russians claimed the attack in Darnystskyy destroyed military vehicles and armaments. Ukrainian officials said the missiles hit a railway repair plant where no tanks were stored.
Speaking on Russian TV on Sunday, Putin issued a warning to the West on supplying the Ukrainians with high-powered rocket systems. He said if the West carried through with it, Russia would hit “new targets they had not attacked before.”
Jun 05, 7:05 am
Putin warns of strikes if West supplies longer-range missiles
President Vladimir Putin warned that Russian forces would strike new targets if the West began supplying Ukraine with longer-range missiles.
“But if they [missiles] are actually delivered, we will draw appropriate conclusions and apply our own weapons, which we have in sufficient quantities to carry out strikes on targets we aren’t striking yet,” Putin told Rossyia 1 TV Channel in an interview on Sunday.
-ABC News’ Tanya Stukalova and Tomek Rolski
Jun 03, 6:17 pm
Driver killed, 2 journalists injured in eastern Ukraine
Two Reuters journalists were injured and their driver killed in an attack in eastern Ukraine Friday, Reuters said.
Photographer Alexander Ermochenko and cameraman Pavel Klimov were traveling into Sievierodonetsk when they came under fire on a Russian-held part of the road, according to Reuters. Klimov was treated for an arm fracture and Ermochenko for a small shrapnel wound at a nearby hospital.
Their driver, who has not been identified, had been assigned to Reuters by Russia-backed forces.
“Reuters extends its deepest sympathies to the family of the driver for their loss,” a Reuters spokesperson said in a statement.
Jun 03, 12:39 pm
EU issues latest package of sanctions
The European Union announced a new package of sanctions targeting Russia on Friday. The EU is banning all sea transfers of crude oil from Russia after a six-month transitory period, to allow for the market to adjust.
The EU will also ban imports (sea transfers) of refined petroleum products from Russia, after an eight-month transitory period.
The EU also added 65 new individuals to its sanctions list, including retired Olympic gymnast Alina Kabaeva. She became chair of the board of the National Media Group and previously sat as a deputy in Russia’s State Duma.
Kabaeva was sanctioned by the U.K. on May 13, which said she is alleged to have a close personal relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but has not been sanctioned by the U.S.
Jun 03, 12:17 pm
Marriott suspends all operations in Russia
Marriott International announced Friday that it will suspend all its operations in Russia, after operating there for 25 years, due to the conflict in Ukraine.
It said the suspension comes as newly announced U.S., U.K. and EU restrictions will make it impossible for it to operate or franchise hotels in Russia.
Marriott closed its corporate office in Moscow and all upcoming hotels and future developments and investments were paused on March 10.
The company also announced it has given $1 million in disaster relief funds for associates and their families who have been directly affected by the war. Lodging is being offered to refugees from Ukraine at 85 hotels in neighboring countries.
Jun 03, 7:50 am
Russia now controls over 90% of Luhansk region
Russia now controls over 90% of eastern Ukraine’s Luhansk Oblast and “is likely to complete control in the next two weeks,” the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Friday in an intelligence update.
“Russia is now achieving tactical success in the Donbas. Russian forces have generated and maintained momentum and currently appear to hold the initiative over Ukrainian opposition,” the ministry said. “Russia has achieved these recent tactical successes at significant resource cost, and by concentrating force and fires on a single part of the overall campaign.”
Russia has been unable to advance its other fronts or axes, “all of which have transitioned to the defensive,” according to the ministry. In fact, the ministry noted, none of the strategic objectives of Moscow’s original plan have been achieved.
Russian forces failed to achieve their initial objectives to seize Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and other major cities.
“Staunch Ukrainian resistance and the failure to secure Hostomel airfield in the first 24 hours led to Russian offensive operations being repulsed,” the ministry said. “Following the failure of the initial plan, through false planning assumptions and poor tactical execution, Russia adapted its operational design to focus on the Donbas.”
Russian forces are now battling Ukrainian troops for control of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, which comprises Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts.
“In order for Russia to achieve any form of success will require continued huge investment of manpower and equipment, and is likely to take considerable further time,” the ministry added.
Jun 03, 5:49 am
100 days of war
Friday marked the 100th day since Russian forces invaded neighboring Ukraine.
In a statement, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the “full-scale invasion” as a “continuation of Russia’s aggressive actions it unleashed 8 years ago by occupying Crimea and parts of territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.”
“Today, our people defend not only their right to exist and live in an independent state, but the security of Europe and the whole democratic world,” the ministry said. “Every day our defenders, at the cost of their own lives, bravely repel Russia’s war machine and fight for freedom and peaceful future of the continent.”
“For 100 days of war, the Kremlin has failed to reach its main goal — conquest of Ukraine,” the ministry added. “Instead, Russia has become the most sanctioned state in the world, and its activities within international organizations and participation in international events have been significantly limited or stopped. The Ukrainian army is bravely holding the line and has liberated territories in a number of regions. Ukraine is determined to have a complete victory over the Russian invader.”
The ministry thanked the “dozens of countries around the world who provide significant support” to Ukraine. It also called on the international community to support the establishment of a special tribunal to investigate alleged war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine.
“In order to stop Russia’s crimes against the Ukrainian people, destruction of our economy and blackmail of the whole world by famine, consistent support for Ukraine should continue. Assistance to our state today is the best investment in peace and sustainable development of all mankind,” the ministry said. “The main pillars for our victory remain unchanged: maximum sanction pressure on Russia, deliveries of necessary weapons and granting Ukraine the status of candidate on the way to full-fledged EU membership.”
Meanwhile, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Maria Zakharova applauded progress that’s been made in the so-called special military operation in Ukraine.
“The special military operation will be continued until all of its objectives declared by the Russian administration, including denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine, are achieved,” Zakharova said at a press briefing Friday. “A lot has been done in this area: militants of the Azov nationalistic formation have surrendered in Mariupol and the liberation of Donbas has been consistently carried out.”
Jun 02, 1:34 pm
Russia controls about 20% of Ukraine’s territory, Zelenskyy says
Russia now controls over 46,300 square miles of Ukraine, which accounts for about 20% of Ukraine’s territory, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Since Russia’s invasion began, Russian forces have gained control of over 16,602 square miles, or roughly 7% of Ukraine’s territory — an area that’s comparable to the size of the Netherlands, Zelenskyy said Thursday in a speech to the Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg. Combined with the territory from Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the war in the Donbas region, Russia’s control of Ukraine now accounts for 20% of its territory, he said.
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
Jun 02, 6:35 am
Ukrainian first lady sits down for exclusive interview with ABC News: ‘Don’t get used to our pain’
Since the start of Russia’s invasion, the Ukrainian first lady has been in hiding with her two children. A difficult question her 9-year-old son keeps asking is when the war will end, Olena Zelenska said in an exclusive interview with ABC News.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think any Ukrainian would be able to answer that question,” Zelenska told Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts in her first televised solo interview since the invasion began.
In discussing the state of the conflict nearly 100 days after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a “special military operation” in Ukraine, Zelenska said that conceding territory to Russia won’t stop the war.
“You just can’t concede … parts of your territory. It’s like conceding a freedom,” Zelenska, 44, said in the interview, airing on Good Morning America Thursday. “Even if we would consider territories, the aggressor would not stop at that. He would continue pressing, he would continue launching more and more steps forward, more and more attacks against our territory.”
Jun 02, 4:34 am
Russia takes most of key city in Donbas
Russian forces have taken control of most of Sieverodonetsk in eastern Ukraine, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Thursday in an intelligence update.
“The main road into the Sieverodonetsk pocket likely remains under Ukrainian control but Russia continues to make steady local gains, enabled by a heavy concentration of artillery,” the ministry said. “This has not been without cost, and Russian forces have sustained losses in the process.”
Sieverodonetsk, an industrial hub, is the largest city still held by Ukrainian troops in the contested Donbas region of Ukraine’s east, which comprises the self-proclaimed republics in Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts.
“Crossing the Siverskyy Donets River — which is a natural barrier to its axes of advance –- is vital for Russian forces as they secure Luhansk Oblast and prepare to switch focus to Donetsk Oblast,” the ministry added. “Potential crossing sites include between Sieverodonetsk and the neighbouring town of Lysychansk; and near recently-captured Lyman. In both locations, the river line likely still remains controlled by Ukrainian forces, who have destroyed existing bridges.”
Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk are the last major cities in the Luhansk area still controlled by Ukraine.
“It is likely Russia will need at least a short tactical pause to re-set for opposed river crossings and subsequent attacks further into Donetsk Oblast, where Ukrainian armed forces have prepared defensive positions,” the ministry added. “To do so risks losing some of the momentum they have built over the last week.”
Jun 01, 9:27 pm
Ukraine’s first lady tells ABC News that giving up land is ‘like conceding a freedom’
In an exclusive interview with ABC News, Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska spoke about the state of the ongoing conflict with Russia and where the Ukrainian people currently stand as a country.
In her first televised solo interview since the invasion began, Zelenska, 44, told Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts that conceding territory to Russia won’t stop the war.
“You just can’t concede…parts of your territory. It’s like conceding a freedom,” Zelenska said. “Even if we would consider territories, the aggressor would not stop at that. He would continue pressing, he would continue launching more and more steps forward, more and more attacks against our territory.”
The interview with Zelenska will air Thursday, June 2, on Good Morning America and across ABC News. GMA airs at 7 a.m. ET on ABC.
(OWO, Nigeria) — Dozens of people are feared to have died after gunmen attacked a church in Nigeria, a U.S. official briefed on the massacre told ABC News.
An explosion and attackers armed with guns killed dozens of people and injured many more at the St. Francis Catholic Church in Nigeria’s Ondo State on Sunday, government officials reported.
At least 50 people, including several children, were killed in the attack, The Associated Press reported, citing local officials.
The explosion occurred outside the church during Mass celebrating Pentecost Sunday, followed by gunmen storming the church and shooting sporadically, officials said. The assailants also killed passersby who were hit by stray bullets.
Nigerian authorities vowed to “hunt” the gunmen down and “make them pay,” Governor of Nigeria’s Ondo State Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu said in a statement.
Akeredolu is “shocked” and “deeply saddened by the unprovoked attack and killing of innocent people,” according to the statement.
“The vile and satanic attack is a calculated assault on the peace-loving people of Owo Kingdom who have enjoyed relative peace over the years,” he said. “It is a black Sunday in Owo. Our hearts are heavy. Our peace and tranquility have been attacked by the enemies of the people. This is a personal loss, an attack on our dear state.”
State security agencies have been deployed to the community, according to a statement by the Catholic Diocese of Ondo, Nigeria. Priests and bishops in the parish have are safe, the diocese said.
Akeredolu will travel to Ondo State in the coming days, he said, urging the community to remain “calm and vigilant.”
“We shall never bow to the machinations of heartless elements in our resolves to rid our state of criminals,” he said.
(LONDON) — After four days of celebrations, Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee ended with a surprise appearance by the queen on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
The 96-year-old queen, dressed in a green coat and hat, white gloves and her signature pearls, stood on the balcony alongside her oldest son and heir to the throne, Prince Charles, and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
Directly to their left were the future heirs, Prince William and his son, Prince George, 8, and the rest of the Cambridge family, including Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, and Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4.
The queen was absent from many of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations but traveled from Windsor Castle to Buckingham Palace Sunday to be there for the finale.
As members of her family and the thousands of people gathered outside of the palace sang “God Save the Queen,” Elizabeth stood and watched, appearing to take it all in.
Before she and her family left the balcony, the queen gave her famous royal wave.
It was the same wave she gave 70 years ago at her coronation on June 2, 1953.
On that day, the newly-crowned Queen Elizabeth II stood on the palace balcony alongside her husband, Prince Philip, who died last year at age 99, and their two children at the time, Prince Charles and Princess Anne.
The queen was 27-years-old when she became queen following the death of her father, King George VI, on Feb. 6, 1952.
Elizabeth — who now has four children, eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren — is the first British monarch in history to reach a Platinum Jubilee.
On Sunday, the queen shared a written thank you message to mark the end of her jubilee celebrations.
“When it comes to how to mark seventy years as your Queen, there is no guidebook to follow. It really is a first. But I have been humbled and deeply touched that so many people have taken to the streets to celebrate my Platinum Jubilee,” she wrote. “While I may not have attended every event in person, my heart has been with you all; and I remain committed to serving you to the best of my ability, supported by my family.”
“I have been inspired by the kindness, joy and kinship that has been so evident in recent days, and I hope this renewed sense of togetherness will be felt for many years to come,” the queen continued. “I thank you most sincerely for your good wishes and for the part you have all played in these happy celebrations.”
The queen signed her message with her first name, Elizabeth, followed by the letter R, which stands for Regina, the Latin word for queen.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden’s administration is working to fortify the economy amid steep inflation with efforts to shore up the supply chain and “invest in the capacity, both physical and human, of our economy to keep up with demand,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Sunday.
“The president has made clear inflation is his top economic priority, and he’s laid out a very clear strategy for doing that,” Buttigieg told “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos.
Buttigieg said the administration will “continue to take the steps that are both on the price side and on the growth side to keep our economy strong.”
A new ABC News/Ipsos poll shows the economy and inflation are top of mind for voters ahead of the 2022 midterms. Only 37% of Americans approve of Biden’s handling of the economic recovery, according to the poll.
The current inflation rate is at 8.3%, according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. An updated number will be released on Friday.
Buttigieg said on “This Week” that the president has proposed “a number of things” to help improve the economy that could be passed by Congress, including lowering the costs of insulin, child care and housing.
These measures “would make a difference no matter what’s happening macroeconomically,” Buttigieg argued. “We would make life easier for Americans who are facing these economic question marks.”
Gas prices — at a record-high after increasing for months — are also a concern. Heading into the summer travel season, the current nationwide average is about $4.84 per gallon.
About two months ago, Biden announced plans to release 1 million barrels of oil per day from the strategic petroleum reserve, saying at the time that he expected this to bring down gas prices.
But Stephanopoulos on Sunday pressed Buttigieg, saying the move “hasn’t made any difference at all.” He asked: “Was that a failure?”
“I don’t think it’s correct to say it hasn’t made any difference at all,” Buttigieg responded. “This is an action that helped to stabilize global oil prices.”
“The action the president took around ethanol, introducing additional flexibility there, that’s having an effect on prices in the Midwest,” he continued. “But we also know that the price of gasoline is not set by a dial in the Oval Office. And when an oil company is deciding, hour by hour, how much to charge you for a gallon of gas, they’re not calling the administration to ask what they should do. They’re doing it based on their goal of maximizing their profits.”
In early April, oil executives testified before Congress, disputing the argument that they are price gouging consumers. They claimed the situation is complex and that in the near term, increasing the supply of oil and natural gas could help.
Amid an increase in gun violence and several recent mass shootings, the president has also renewed his call for new gun control legislation, which has long been resisted by congressional Republicans who say it would violate gun rights. In remarks delivered Thursday night, Biden urged raising the age to buy assault weapons to 21, strengthening background checks, banning high-capacity magazines and other measures.
Stephanopoulos asked Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, “If you were still mayor of South Bend right now, what would you be doing?”
“We have a horrific scourge of gun violence in this country,” Buttigieg said.
As mayor, he explained, he would do what he could on the local level. “But you’re also looking at Washington to say, ‘Will anything be different this time?'”
“Will we actually acknowledge the reasons why we are the only country, the only developed country where this happens on a routine basis?” Buttigieg said. “And the idea that us being the only developed country where this happens routinely — especially in terms of the mass shootings — is somehow a result of the design of the doorways on our school buildings is the definition of insanity, if not the definition of denial.”
